Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of software globalization.
Description of the Related Art
Software internationalization and software localization when combined facilitate the distribution and utilization of a computer program across geographic and lingual boundaries. In this regard, software internationalization refers to the design of a computer program so that the program may be adapted to various languages and regions without requiring commensurate changes in the underlying implementation of the computer program. Software, localization, in turn, refers to the adaptation of the internationalized computer program for a specific region or language by adding locale-specific components and translating text. Accordingly, localization must be performed on multiple occasions, once for each different locale, whereas internationalization ideally is ideally performed only once, or as an integral part of the development of the computer program.
Software internationalization, in the context of an ordinary computer program, is viewed as an acceptable and ordinary element of the software development process in so far as, once internationalization has been achieved, further internationalization is not required absent a significant redevelopment of the source code of the computer program. As such, though a manually intensive, tedious process, often performed by individuals in a dedicated department, software publishers have not sought out a more automated and therefore more efficient solution. However, for fast evolving computer programs such as Web distributable applications, software internationalization according to the contemporary manual process poses a challenge to the speed at which a computer program is able to be released for consumption.